December 23, 2013

Look for the Cowboys to lean on DeMarco Murray and the running game to help Orton if Romo can't go

Running back DeMarco Murray has been asking for a bigger role in the Cowboys offense.

He has been asking for the ball for the last month of the season.

Look for him to get it Sunday with quarterback Tony Romo likely out with a herniated disc, putting backup Kyle Orton in as the starter. Orton hasn't started a game since 2011 and has thrown only five passes this season.

"Well, certainly balance is important and being able to run the football is the best friend a quarterback can have," coach Jason Garrett said. "'Typically, if you are running it well, you are getting a lot of run defense, which is favorable to throw the ball. DeMarco Murray has played particularly well for us. I think our offensive line is playing better and better and better together, and we have been able to be more physical at the line of scrimmage."

Murrays game against the Redskins wasn't always better but it was effective. He rushed 22 times for 96 yards, with much of it coming on a 43-yard burst.

But his effort was good enough to give him 1,073 yards for the season, allowing him to become the team's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2006.

"Washington is a tough team to run the ball against," Garrett said. "Traditionally, they’ve been very well at defending the run. They’ve got good run stoppers, they’ve got a good scheme. I thought our guys did a good job just kind of battling, hammering away. DeMarco made the one big run, but he also made a lot of dirty runs that were really positive for us. We have to continue to do that and being physical is an important part of doing that."